Though Motorola just released a trio of DROID devices for Verizon devices earlier this week, they’re pumping up for the Moto X on August 1st, and they’re getting ready to do it on each of the major carriers in the USA, possibly all at once. True to the original vision for Google’s Android and the device line that eventually became the Nexus, Google-owned Motorola has a smartphone made for the everyman – one that, according to the SKU codes appearing this afternoon – will be delivered to the whole of the United States at once.
We’ve seen basically everything there is to know about this machine well before it’s been released officially. We know it’s got a 720p display, we know it’ll come in at least black and white, if not a wide variety of colors through the rainbow – we even know that there’s a few models out there in the wild. Google’s Eric Schmidt has one in his pocket right now, more than likely.
What we did not know before the list that we’re seeing today (straight from the FCC) was released was that this smartphone will be released to Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular. While Motorola will also have models customized and shipped straight to citizens of the USA straight off the assembly line – that assembly line also sitting right here in the USA – the black and/or white editions may very well be in stores in just a few weeks.
This smartphone is not meant to break any barriers with its specifications alone, instead aiming for the palms of a massive cross-section of new and experienced Android users throughout the USA. This is the first all-Google Motorola project since they first acquired the big M last year – now it’s time to get busy.
Despite the fact that the Moto X hasn’t even been officially announced (unless you count Eric Schmidt’s Idaho flaunt-fest or Dennis Woodside’s D11 talk as “official”), there’s a lot we already know about the device. What we haven’t heard for certain yet are which carriers in the US will offer the new handset, though FCC docs and other leaks have revealed AT&T, Verizon and Sprint as likely candidates so far. Does T-Mobile fit into the mix? Whether or not the UnCarrier will really pick it up, a variant of the Motorola X known as the XT1053 has made its way through the FCC approval process with all the bands you’ve grown to love and use on other T-Mo devices, such as AWS HSPA+ and LTE (along with bands 2 and 17, making this theoretically compatible with AT&T as well). This is a pretty clear indicator that worst-case customers will be able to purchase an unlocked version of the device with the right frequencies in tow. Additionally, we noticed evidence that 802.11ac will also make an appearance. Have a look at the docs for yourself below, if you so desire.
If you ordered Google Chromecast—that delightful yet limited media dongle announced on Wednesday—for the three months of free Netflix it came with, you might be disappointed to find out that the cutoff for the promotion was even earlier than you thought. Especially if you bought from Amazon.
A lot of gadgets have passed through the halls of iFixit, getting their turn on the chopping block and having their internal guts dissected. Some of them have been extremely difficult to open up, while others are pretty easy. The Chromecast, on the other hand, is just a piece of nothing if you ask the iFixit folks. They didn’t even give it a repairability score.
Essentially, the Chromecast HDMI dongle is a motherboard with a heatsink, encased in a plastic shell. The shell is fairly easy to open, as it just takes a little bit of prying to get access to the innards. Overall, there just wasn’t much to teardown. After iFixit took off the plastic shell, that was pretty much it.
So why didn’t they give it a repairability score? Well, because there’s nothing to repair. If the device breaks you have to replace the whole thing, unless you’re really, really good with soldering tiny parts together. iFixit calls the Chromecast “a throwaway gadget” thanks to its very small price tag and the fact that you just can’t repair it.
However, that doesn’t mean that the iFixit team didn’t discover some “cool stuff” on the inside. The Chromecast uses an Azure Wave AW-NH387 802.11 b/g/n WLAN, Bluetooth, FM combo module IC, along with a Marvell DE3005-A1 SoC, similar to the Marvell DE3005. It also has 4GB of flash memory and 512MB of RAM.
In the end, iFixit calls the Chromecast “essentially a luxury item with a limited use.” It’s certainly nothing special, and if anything, it’s mostly the price that has folks raging about it. Then again, for $35, it’s a pretty awesome device that can do a lot of neat things, and with the SDK out and about, we can only see the device getting better from here on out.
Several months after the first market availability of the original HTC One, the HTC One mini emerges as a compact amalgamation of everything that was right about its predecessor. Working with a smaller body, a lower resolution on a sized-down display, and a processor that’s not quite as powerful as the Qualcomm SoC on the HTC One, can this miniature second wave of a smartphone strike true for those of us with a smaller palm?
Hardware
This machine’s 720 x 1280 display (across 4.3 inches of screen real-estate) does not disappoint. While the HTC One is slightly sharper mathematically, we’re well into the “I wouldn’t have noticed if you’d not said something” zone. This machine’s display is so close to the surface of the glass that protects it, it’s difficult to tell that they are, indeed, two separate pieces of hardware. Right from the moment you turn this smartphone on, you can feel HTC’s efforts continue to hit top-notch.
The HTC One mini comes in at 132 x 63.2 x 9.25 mm in size and 122g in weight, shaving off just about as much on its left and right as it does on its top and bottom, feeling in the end to be essentially the same thickness – even if it is a smidgen different (0.05 mm thinner, to be exact). Where the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini feels like a shadow of the full-sized Galaxy S 4, the HTC One mini feels like a companion to the HTC One – more like an alternate reality approach.
While it would appear at a glance that the HTC One mini’s plastic ring around its edges were placed there only to be a differentiator for the final build between this and the original, it does serve to make one feel less fearful of dropping the whole unit. It’s not as if this ring is going to do a whole lot more to protect the front or back of the smartphone from a concrete slab ground, but there’s more of a sense of safety here, even if it does dare us to suggest that it makes the device feel more like a Samsung handset (it doesn’t).
Instead it would seem that the aluminum back panel and two speaker grill-filled front panels serve, with the single pane of Gorilla Glass up front, to keep this device well in the premium build universe. Up front you’ve still got the double-dose of sensors peeking out at you on the left up top, and one of two high-powered cameras up on the right.
There’s also a notification light up in the topside speaker grill – 12th hole in from the right, second row from the bottom – one single pin hole and a world of difference for those who demand such a shiner. This light serves to tell you the HTC One mini is being charged up, for the most part, but you’ll also find a set of checkmarks you can toggle in settings under “Notification flash”, including Calls, Voice mail, Messages, Calendar, Mail, and Alarms.
Behind the speaker grills up front are stereo speakers, working with HTC’s own branded audio setup BoomSound and sounding every bit as powerful as they do on the HTC One. It’s surprising, really, that HTC brings this premium feature to devices other than the HTC One – you’ll find it in HTC 8XT as well – though we’ve yet to test that unit for comparable ear-shattering. Here on the HTC One mini you’ve got the same best-in-glass speaker setup first delivered with the HTC One, top and bottom both.
On the right side of this smartphone you’ll find two volume buttons instead of a rocker – this is modified from the HTC One which used a single piece of metal with a circular pattern through its form. Up top is a standard-sized headphone jack alongside a power / lock button that, instead of having an IR-blaster built in, is simply a bit more aluminum this time around.
The left side of the HTC One mini holds this device’s single microSIM card slot which can be popped out with an HTC-provided pin, while the bottom holds one of two mic holes (the other is on the back panel) near an off-set microUSB port for power and PC connections. This is an offset port in that it’s not right in the center, where many major smartphones’ usb ports tend to find themselves.
The back panel of the HTC One is split into three – there’s a top section that’s roughly the same size as the bottom, then a center single panel that takes up the majority of the machine. This center panel holds the 3D alternate-shade of aluminum spelling out HTC as well as the second of two HTC One mini-bound cameras and a single LED flash. The second of two microphone holes sits on the left between the top and middle panels, the opposite side of the hole on the HTC One.
You’ll also find the Beats Audio brand intact here, this time a bit more subdued (at least on this light silver edition) than the original (which blasts the logo out in hot red). FCC and other certification data finishes out the package at the bottom in a silver so light you can barely see it.
Inside you’ve got 4G LTE and HSPA compatibility with Wi-Fi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 (ready for LE/ Bluetooth Smart in Android 4.3 eventually) as well as aptX support for high-powered wireless audio. You’ll not be getting any NFC this time around, unfortunately – not a deal-breaker for most, but as the NFC universe expands, one must consider such a thing.
Software
The software is nearly a perfect replica of what’s found on the original HTC One here on the international edition of the HTC One mini. The big differences come in the app selection and the compatibility (or lack thereof) with certain functions due to hardware changes. No IR-blaster means no Sense TV, no NFC means no Android Beam. These are compromises you should be willing to make when you jump in on this miniaturized version of the full-sized hero.
The HTC One mini adds Mocana’s KeyVPN app right out of the box – this allows you to connect to secure networks, of course, and does so as one might expect. Google’s full suite of Google Play apps is here, including Play Movies, Play Music, Play Magazines, and Play Books, these running alongside HTC’s iterations with additions like “Music”.
HTC’s music app is the same as it was on the HTC One, here delivering the ability to play lyrics from songs and show wild animations during track playback. HTC also includes a simple PDF Viewer that can access the device’s own storage as well as cloud apps like Dropbox. Editing of PDFs is done by Polaris Office.
Dropbox is also – once again – included with the basic build of this HTC smartphone. You’ll also be seeing music sales with 7digital, music identification with SoundHound, and internet radio with TuneIn Radio. These along with Play Movies and YouTube have HTC making sure you’re going to be putting your BoomSound speakers to good use.
The first page you see when you enter past your HTC One mini’s lockscreen is a system called HTC BlinkFeed. This first appeared with the HTC One and continues here with its entire set of abilities still ready to roll.
You’ll be able to collect news sources and updates from your social networking profiles to create one big image-intensive collection of quick-views. Each of these rectangles is able to be tapped to expand, and you’re able to turn each of your news sources on/off at will.
The system is set by default to refresh only when on wi-fi, but you can change it to work with mobile data if you wish. By all eyeballing accounts, this and every other part of the UI in the HTC One mini appear to be moving every bit as swift as the original, despite the lower capacity for processing power in this smaller device’s interior architecture.
Performance
The HTC One mini works with a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400. This means it’s not quite up to the task of taking on the HTC One’s Snapdragon 600 with its four CPU cores, but here on a device with a smaller device with a smaller display with a lower resolution, the results appear the same. We’ve noticed no slowdown in everyday use, and we’ve not yet seen lag even when opening some of the most demanding games on the market. It would appear that we’ve reached a point in the smartphone chip-making world where the power has out-run the demand.
Have a peek at the benchmarks above and see what you think. While this device doesn’t make too much of an effort to break down any top-tier barriers, it’s well ready to do its own job, and do it well.
Camera / Battery
The camera here continues to work with HTC Zoe, Full HD (1080p) video recording and high-quality results on both the front and back-facing camera. The back-facing camera continues to work with the full HTC One-born UltraPixel setup, complete with results just as impressive as the original.
While it might seem that working with a slightly less powerful processor might result in lower-quality results in image processing, or at least slower processing therein, the differences are minor, if noticeable at all. This device has the same f/2.0 aperture in play as well as the same dedicated ImageChip 2 image processor – this is in addition to the main device processor, mind you.
What you’ve got is a system that shoots photos and video as well as the HTC One, with one difference: the HTC One mini does not work with Optical Image Stabilization. The big place this takes effect is in filming videos, which here can be a bit more “shaky” as a result. If you’ve never used the HTC One and felt that bump in quality, this change-over won’t make a difference to you.
Have a peek at a collection of sample shots above and let us know what you think of the system compared to the original. It certainly feels the same, and as always, it’s as much about the photographer as it is about the camera.
Battery
The HTC One mini works with a non-removable 1800mAh battery which, paired with Qualcomm’s battery conservation features in its Snapdragon processor and HTC’s own battery saver mode in this phone’s settings, you’ll be getting a massive amount of battery life on standby. In fact, if you leave your device in your pocket and turn off data altogether, you might just get a few days’ worth of life out of it.
If you’re a heavy user, on the other hand, this phone will need a charge by the time the day is through. If you’re doing nothing but streaming video and playing games, you’ll get no more than 8 hours out of the HTC One mini, while light users – email, chat, and the like, will easily get a full work day without plugging this machine in to the wall.
Wrap-up
In the end you’ll have to base your decision to purchase this device on whether or not you’re willing to make a trade-off in size and for a few odd features for a lower price point. If you’re not seeing this decision between the HTC One and the HTC One mini as a trade-of, and instead simply want a smaller device that fits your hand better than the original, then you’ll be good to go! In the end, this machine takes everything that was great about the HTC One and jams it into a smaller package.
Let us know if there’s anything else about this device that you’d like SlashGear to test – this is a living review, after all, and we’ll continue to update as you, the reader, would ask us to. We’re here to provide you with the information you want on the HTC One mini – the same being true of all our reviews – stay tuned!
Google’s new Nexus 7 was released a bit prematurely today, as retailers like Best Buy and Amazon put the new tablet on sale. First it was Best Buy, and then more and more retailers piled on, offering the new Nexus 7 days before Google would put it up for sale. However, it seems Google is pulling the plug on their originally plans of a July 30 launch, and are selling the tablet right now.
The second-generation Nexus 7 was announced on Wednesday, and listings began going up as early as this morning, with ship dates that would land you the new tablet well before Google’s planned launch date of July 30. Because of that, it looks like Google said “screw it” and is making the tablet available early.
We’re not sure what exactly happened with the retail availability, but it seems as if they were supposed to wait until July 30 just like Google, but with Best Buy being the first retailer to jump the gun, other retailers felt it necessary to get their listings up as well. Keep in mind that Best Buy also launched their Nexus 7 pre-orders prematurely.
Google has both the 16GB and 32GB models available for purchase on Google Play, and they’re even offering free ground shipping, with $13.99 shipping that will get the tablet to your front door by July 30. Or you could just pay $4 next-day shipping on Amazon (if you have Prime) to get the tablet tomorrow. Better yet, just drive on down to your local Best Buy and pick one up.
As for those in the UK, pre-orders are live right now, but the tablet will sadly not land across the pond until September 13. Other regions of the world are unknown, but we’re guessing the US is the only country getting the tablet early.
Bryan Biniak, VP and General Manager of Global Partner and App Development at Nokia, was in London today for the UK launch of JobLens, so we took the opportunity to sit down with him and talk Windows Phone 8, the basket in which Nokia has entrusted all its eggs. Being Microsoft’s brother-in-arms, Nokia’s heavily involved in building out the platform and, despite an increasing number of high-profileapps making the jump, the general health of the WP8 store was the main topic of discussion. Unsurprisingly, Biniak was keen to report the app catalogue and with it, competitiveness, is growing fast. There are still gaps to be filled, however, and if Biniak’s claims are to be trusted, all the apps most common to iOS and Android home screens are headed to WP8 in the near future:
We’re not having a single conversation with anybody, of any material application that’s out there, that isn’t going to be coming to the platform. It’s not a matter of if — I had those conversations, the “if” conversations, before — all of our conversations now are “when.”
As of now, Apple’s still wholly content letting Google and its clan of followers dominate the sub-$300 tablet market. Hence, the new Nexus 7. For those drawn to a thinner, lighter, more powerful version of the Android-based slate, orders can now be placed directly through Google’s Play Store… for customers located in the United States. Both the 16GB and 32GB WiFi-only models are still on track to ship by next Tuesday, while those on the lookout for a cellular version will need to wait a few more weeks. It’s Friday. You probably just got paid. And really, what’s $230 between friends?
Remember Google Babel? It was the rumored name of what is now called the rebranded Google+ Hangouts. However, Project Babel still exists, and it deals with language translation. Google is working to turn phones into “universal translators” of sorts, so when you talk into the phone in one language, the person you’re calling will hear a real-time translation in their native language.
Speaking with The UK Times, Android VP Hugo Barra says that the project is in its early stages, and the technology is a fews years away as far as being available to the public, but he says that some translations using certain languages has provided “near-perfect” results.
However, the biggest issue is actually background noise that interferes with dialogue, which affects the results of the translation. However, when used in controlled environments where there’s no background interference, Barra says that the accuracy of the real-time translations have been “close to 100%”.
Google already has a text translation system online, but it leaves much to be desired, since it’s not real-time, and it’s only text-based for now. However, it supports 71 different languages, with the most recent additions being Bosnian, Cebuano (used in the Philippines), Hmong (South East Asia), Javanese (Indonesia), and Marathi (India).
Google does seem to have dipped their fingers into a slew of different projects, and this time around, we have word that their very own real-time translation project for the spoken – take note, spoken, and not written, word over smartphones are inching closer and closer to the 100% accuracy mark, which is something that ought to make everyone else sit up and take notice. In an interview with Android’s Vice President Hugo Barra, he revealed that hardware prototypes (of the Android-powered variety, of course) are currently being tested, and these have achieved “near perfect” results where some language pairs are concerned.
Of course, there is also the fact that this real-time speech translation work is a very delicate and tricky one to be part of since it is tested in a controlled environment, and the bottleneck happens to be speech recognition in real-life conditions, where you have all sorts of background noise and accents to deal with, but all of those kinks should be worked out in due time. Who knows, one might even find real-time speech translation being thrown into a future version of Android, and it might be more difficult for language teachers to earn a living after that.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
Google does seem to have dipped their fingers into a slew of different projects, and this time around, we have word that their very own real-time translation project for the spoken – take note, spoken, and not written, word over smartphones are inching closer and closer to the 100% accuracy mark, which is something that ought to make everyone else sit up and take notice. In an interview with Android’s Vice President Hugo Barra, he revealed that hardware prototypes (of the Android-powered variety, of course) are currently being tested, and these have achieved “near perfect” results where some language pairs are concerned.
